Much Better
by Lyralocke
Summary: Kataang, oneshot. He hated it when she flirted. She was so good at it.


_In the wake of the last depressing oneshot I wrote, I give you a return to my old sappiness. I've been kicking this idea around for a little while. It was inspired by the song LOVE YOU MUCH BETTER by The Hush Sound. Go listen to it. Now. It'll change your life. But anyway, I liked the idea, it was funny and light-hearted like the song. So I wrote it._

_I'm still working on Parlor Tricks, don't worry._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar_

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Aang stood outside the kitchen of the palace of Omashu, peering through the doorway and glaring. Katara was inside, speaking to a young man who worked on the food service staff for the palace. He was showing her a new kind of pastry he had created and she was showering praise upon him for it. Flirting… she was shamelessly flirting with that guy she had just met. He hated it when she flirted. She was so _good_ at it.

But what Aang really didn't understand about it was why he let it go on. For two years it had been like this. Sokka, Toph, and Katara had elected to accompany Aang while he traveled the world fulfilling the duties of the Avatar after the war was over, and everywhere they stopped, a new boy or two would notice Katara. Either she was too nice to blatantly turn them down, or she was just enjoying the attention, because she certainly did nothing to stop them.

Every time, it just burned Aang up. He would watch it happen silently and be angry for days, but only on the inside where no one could tell. Didn't she realize these guys were nothing compared to him? He was the Avatar, for goodness' sake. If she couldn't see how perfect the two of them would be together, she must have been blind.

The situation was no different at Bumi's one-hundred-fifteenth birthday party. So Aang stood outside the kitchen of the palace of Omashu, slowly getting angrier.

"Aw jeez, would you just go in there and do something, Twinkle Toes?"

Aang whipped around in surprise. Toph had snuck up on him and was standing behind him, hands on her hips. It was a gesture she had picked up from Katara without realizing it.

"What do you mean?" Aang asked coolly. She punched him in the arm. He rubbed the spot indignantly.

"What, are you just gonna watch those two making kissy faces at each other? Or are you going to march in there and put an end to the madness?" she demanded, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Um…" Aang began, feeling himself getting backed into a corner.

"Look, if Sokka wasn't occupied with all the stupid girls in the ballroom, he'd be out here right now telling you the same thing," she continued, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Wait wait, when did the two of you figure out I liked Katara?" he asked, trying to make sense of this.

"Uh, gee, how about when I met you, Airhead," she replied, waving the matter off. "Besides, Sokka's getting as sick of Katara's flirting as you are. So just get in there and show 'em who's boss." He glanced warily at the doorway. She punched him in the arm again. "You're an earthbender, start acting like one."

Aang stood forlornly in the hall as Toph walked back to the party, rubbing his sore arm. He frowned. Yeah, Toph was right. He was an earthbender. He worked his face into a suitably angry and threatening expression and strode into the room. Time to start acting like one.

Katara glanced over when she saw him and smiled. "Oh, hey Aang," she said, still giggling from something the young pastry chef had just said. "Come here, you have to try this… uh…" She trailed off when she saw the look on Aang's face. He stood beside her and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the young man.

"Would you excuse us?" Aang asked darkly. The boy didn't move, looking warily between Aang and Katara as though he was putting something together. "Now?"

The boy nodded and excused himself, just short of running from the room. Katara turned on Aang.

"What was that f-!"

She didn't finish her thought. Aang grabbed her by the waist and lifted her off the floor, all but dropping her on the counter beside them. She stared at him, mouth hanging open slightly, too shocked to speak.

"I'm not a mysterious person, am I?" he asked shortly, hands still firm on her hips.

"Well this is a bit of a head-scratcher," she admitted frankly, an amused smile tugging at her lips.

"Because I feel like I've been pretty clear with my intentions," he continued, ignoring her.

She laughed a little, confused. "Intentions…?"

"I've been dropping hints since I met you," he went on, frustrated. "I mean… I invited you to this party."

"Aang, you always invite me to these kinds of things," she pointed out lightly, still smiling in amusement.

He paused. She had him there. "Well, but… I gave you flowers," he offered.

"You tend to give me things a lot," she noted. "Pretty much everything you find that you think I'd like."

Shoot. She was right about that too. "Yeah… well…" he trailed off, stuck. He threw up his hands in exasperation. "Why do you do this to me, Katara? You make me crazy!"

"Aang," she began, laughing a little.

"I mean I thought we were on the same page, you know?" he ranted on, pacing in front of her. "But no, you flirt with everybody but me, you kiss everybody but me, you _see everybody but me_."

"Aang, that's not-" she started, the smile finally fading from her face as she slid off the counter.

"I don't know what else to do," he exclaimed. "I feel like I've tried everything. I've given you things, I've invited you to things, I've always been good to you and honest with you…"

"Yes, you have," she consented, but he didn't seem to hear her.

"And now you're looking at me like I'm crazy!"

"I'm not-"

"I feel like there's something between us," he burst out, still pacing endlessly. "There's always been something… at least I thought there was something…"

"There _is_ something."

"I don't know what you see in all of these guys!" he was practically shouting when he finally stopped pacing, turning and looking at her. "I can love you much better."

"I know," she said earnestly. "I know you can."

He stared at her. She held his gaze. Before she knew what was happening, his hands were on her hips again and he lifted her onto the edge of the counter. She grabbed onto his shoulders to steady herself, and all of a sudden his lips were on hers. She froze, hands tight on his shoulders, and he counted six seconds before she relaxed, tilting her head and moving her lips against his.

All the boys Katara had ever looked at were forgotten by both of them.

The young man Aang had scared out of the room peeked his head back in to see if they were done talking. His eyes widened and he quickly ducked out of the doorway. He shrugged and dug his hands into his pockets, making his way down the hall.

What did that guy have that he didn't?


End file.
